Certified Gate Automation Designer

Eligibility Requirements

CGAD eligibility requires a minimum of one year of gate automation experience. You may still sit for the exam before you have one year of experience; if you pass the exam, your certification will be held until the experience requirement is met.

Topics Covered

• Types of Gates and Operators 
• UL 325 
• ASTM F2200 
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 
• Electrical Wiring 
• Access Control Devices 
• Vehicle Detection Systems 
• Power Fail Options 
• High Security Installations 
• Other Site Considerations 

Study materials are sent electronically following application approval. 

Testing

The CGAD exam includes 100 questions and must be completed in two hours. It is not an open book test. All test questions are developed directly from the program study materials; no other resources are used. All AFA exams are in-person only. 

For more information on the testing process, please click here.

Once you have passed the exam and received your official notification that you have earned your CGAD designation, you are entitled to advertise yourself as a Certified Gate Automation Designer. Once certified, you may use the designation, its acronym and its logo on your business cards, sales proposals, and other materials normally used in the sales and marketing process.

The designation belongs to you, and it is not owned by your business or employer. Should you leave your current company, your certification will go with you. If you do change jobs or otherwise change your contact information, please contact AFA to update your records.

Recertification

The Certified Gate Automation Designer designation is valid for three years from issuance of the credential.  

Renewal Requirements 

Earn 12 hours of gate automation/access control-focused continuing education in the three year period prior to renewal. This includes but is not limited to: 

• FENCETECH education and seminars
• AFA education/schools/webinars
• AFA online education (through the AFA U Online portal)
• Training/education from manufacturers/suppliers
• Any gate automation or access control-related trainings or courses.
• Instructional hours, if you instruct/teach any eligible courses (maximum of 5 instructional hours per application)

Hours spent viewing exhibits are not eligible.  If you have questions about a specific training course, please contact Sara Surprenant to evaluate whether it meets the criteria.

Continuing education will be reported as part of the renewal application and must include the following: 

• Date(s) of session 
• Session title 
• Instructor name 
• Name of organization providing training 
• Proof of attendance with hours earned included (payment receipt not accepted; must be certificate of attendance/participation or, if unavailable, letter from course instructor confirming applicant’s attendance and hours earned) 

You may add your continuing education credits to your profile as you earn them and do not need to wait until your renewal application is submitted.  You can see a list of education credits at any time by visiting the Education tab in your MyAFA profile, and can add new credits by clicking the "Add" button and following the prompts.  For detailed instructions or more information on education credit reporting, please reach out to Sara Surprenant.

Criteria for continuing education programming is subject to change per the AFA Credentialing Committee. 

If the renewal requirements are not met, you must reapply for the CGAD program and retake the certification exam to reactivate your CGAD credential. Once certification is earned again, your certification issue date will change accordingly. 

FAQs